Andy Baldwin recently blogged about preparing for the Nautica South Beach Triathlon, and now that the event has come and gone, I’d like to share Oceana’s experience at the race.
Since Florida is one of the major global hotspots for loggerhead sea turtle nesting, South Beach was a fitting place to discuss something the public can do right now to help loggerheads – namely, tell the federal government to upgrade the status of loggerheads to “Endangered” (this affords them greater protections under the Endangered Species Act). Ten volunteers helped me collect hundreds of comment letters that Oceana will deliver to the federal government next month.
In addition to on-site advocacy, six individuals swam, biked and ran for “Team Oceana,” dedicating their time and energy to not only train for the race, but also to raise money and spread the word about ocean conservation. For athlete Julie Leonardo, this represented her third Nautica triathlon for Team Oceana – here’s what she had to say about being on Team Oceana:
“I am an ocean advocate who cares deeply about the environment and the delicate interconnectedness of all ecosystems. Participating as a member of Team Oceana provides me with a forum to educate others while I push myself towards personal fitness goals.”
Congratulations to Team Oceana’s Merrie Wimmer, who made the podium by finishing 5th in her age division. I would also like to extend a special thanks to our volunteers and to Nautica for donating all on-site sales proceeds to Oceana.
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